Terror Subsiding

Just as the post title suggests, my mother's terror concerning the traffic has begun to subside. She is now able to walk across the street without clutching onto my arm and grimacing in fear.I believe it was a combination of culture shock and jet-lag that left her previously convinced that I needed to move home immediately. By day four she's a lot more comfortable with the traffic situation and doesn't fear for my life at every turn.Yesterday we took a short walk to the Temple of Literature. It's only a 5 minute stroll from my house, but I had yet to actually visit. It is 1,000 years old and absolutely gorgeous. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

I took her to the biggest covered market today. More impressive than the market was the fact that she insisted on driving her rented motorbike in a very intense market neighborhood. Upon making it out of that area alive, we continued our drive around the Old Quarter and parked our bikes to do a little bit of tourist shopping. Naturally I tend to shy away from the whole tourist scene in the attempt to preserve my "local image" but I made an exception today. Speaking a bit of Vietnamese to the vendors always helps...

Last night my mother got the opportunity to meet some of my Hanoian friends over dinner. We went to Highway 4 for some traditional Vietnamese, and my friends think my mom is quite a funny lady (who doesn't?). Tonight we are meeting Anneliese and Carlo for some amazing Indian food (not sure why, but I've had the best Indian food of my life in Viet Nam). Naturally we are going to end the evening in the spa, and then I will head out with some friends to a DJ party.

Tomorrow we are doing a bit of a motorbike city tour (with my local friend Son functioning as motorbike tour guide) and then going to my friend's restaurant for lunch. I think a trip to the Mausoleum will make it's way into our Sunday as some point as well...

Monday we are taking a day trip out into the countryside into the village of Tam Coc. I had been there once before 3 years ago and thought it was absolutely breathtaking, so I'm very excited for my mom to get a taste of the countryside. Tam Coc is commonly compared to Ha Long Bay, as it is a river that runs through limestone rock formations. Expect many pictures...